GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — Steph Mommaerts struggled with infertility for six years, with two miscarriages and an Ectopic Pregnancy. But then, she got pregnant again.
“The excitement kinda started building a little bit more," Mommaerts said.
But that excitement quickly turns to fear that she knows too well.
“I ended up having some spotting and some pain, so I ended up going into the emergency room," the Green Bay native said. "They were able to do an ultrasound right away…. They did confirm that it was ectopic."
An Ectopic Pregnancy is when an egg attaches outside of the uterus, putting a mother's health at risk. So, Mommaert's story is different than the abortion story we often hear about. Hers is one where the decision is detrimental to her health.
"It's emotional for everyone involved," Mommaerts said. "A lot of emotions. Being scared from the previous history of losses, and excited to where this one was progressing, and then getting that ripped away from you."
Mommaerts had to go in for emergency surgery, but she said a local hospital told her they wouldn't do the operation. Now, with the Supreme Court possibly set to overturn Roe v. Wade, there's a growing concern about whether people will be able to get care in these situations.
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Kathy Cain is the Green Bay coordinator for pro-life group "40 Days for Life". She said saving the life of the mother is the priority, but abortion is never needed to save the life of a mother.
"When it's not the intention of killing a baby, but it's saving the life of the mother, rather than two people dying, you are saving that mother," Cain said.
She also noted treatment for miscarriage or Ectopic Pregnancy is not considered an abortion. Even still, there's guilt and shame surrounding the decision. As Mommaerts puts, a stigma, and describes it as:
"There's places that I choose not to eat but I don't tell other people they can't eat there."
Now, she's sharing her story on Facebook, hoping it can be an easier way for people to understand another angle to the abortion debate.
"I'm a believer that if you come at something with 'I'm on this side and you're on this side' that doesn't leave room for understanding," Mommaerts said.
